1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to equipment for securely holding skis when not in use and more particularly to stationary ski racks with locking mechanisms.
2. State of the Art
Ski racks are constructed for both stationary and moveable platforms. Car-top carriers adapted to hold skis are known in the art, as are racks designed to fit inside and outside of buses servicing ski resorts. Likewise, in or on tramways and other ski lifts, racks are sometimes provided for holding the skis of patrons.
Stationary ski tacks are typically provided by a ski lodge operator or ski lift operator in proximity to a lodge where skiers may test, eat, purchase accessories and equipment, or rent equipment. Most merchants and ski area operators with a need to provide a location for temporary storage of patrons' skis, simply build a rack of wood.
Racks are heavy and often immoveable, being permanently anchored to the ground or a wall. Some racks are put out on the ground at the beginning of a ski season. Even these supposedly temporary or seasonal racks often become immoveable after the initial few snowfalls of a season. To remain moveable, such racks must be moved daily by a crew of two or more husky workers dedicated to the task at the end of each day.
Snow pack above the base of a ski rack or ice around the base typically will make a ski rack a permanent fixture until the ski season's end. During the season, wood of a rack left outdoors becomes wet and heavy, weathers, splinters and otherwise submits to the ravages of the elements.
Meanwhile, snow accumulation often builds up to become several feet deep under the ski rack. This buildup not only fixes the rack in place but makes it less useful by reducing the effective height of the rail above a support surface such as the ground.
What is needed is a ski rack that can be moved daily. Ideally, the rack should be manageable by a single individual at the end of a day, to reduce crew size. Such portability requires relatively light weight. The rack should be impervious to weather, and should have means to anchor some type of tether or lock. The rack should even be storable indoors, stacking, if possible, with other identical racks.
Another difficulty with ski racks is the inability to secure skis to the racks. Because racks are large or may be simply a wall, no secure place exists to which a lock can be conveniently and securely anchored.
Locks are likewise problematic, given the large variety in ski sizes and binding configurations. That is, most ski locks depend on capturing the waist of a ski, between the front and rear binding hardware. Rigid and flexible locking mechanisms may each be loose or tight, depending on the size of the ski waist. Excessive space may reduce the effectiveness of the lock.
Even cables which can be wrapped around skis to take up slack, must be wound around the skis an integral number of times. Any slack is subject to being worked until it can be slipped over the ski bindings, thus permitting release of each wrap in turn over the binding.
Another difficulty is weight. Ski locks are often carried by the skier while skiing so as to be ready for easy access when needed. Space is a similar concern since excess bulk is undesirable, with strength a balancing consideration.
What is needed is a ski security system having a portable rack having a locking mechanism configured to be permanent, and adaptable to be removable. The lock should be simply and easily attachable to a variety of types of skis, regardless of size and regardless of the style of bindings. Thus, the rack and lock of the ski security system should be a secure place for locating skis while a skier is elsewhere.
The lock should be readily operable without a tangle of cables and fasteners. Each lock should preferably be unique or of a limited number of its key or release type. The lock should be releasable only by the individual user or the owner.